Anantara Tangalle Pool View

Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort Review: Soothe Your Soul in Sri Lanka

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Lagoon in south Sri Lanka with text overlay Woman in pool in Sri Lanka with text overlay

Ayubowan! As you step out of the vehicle and walk towards the reception you are greeted by smiling staff with their palms together in front of the heart. Ayubowan is a Sri Lankan greeting that means “may you live long” – how lovely is that?

Since staying at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle for the first time in 2016 we have returned time and time again to soak up the best of Sri Lankan hospitality.

Welcome ceremony at Anantara Tangalle in Sri Lanka

Prepare for all of your worries to melt away as you step into the Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle: be welcomed with a cold, lemongrass-scented wet towel, a cup of king coconut water and three beautiful ladies singing and tapping on a traditional Sri Lankan drum.

Visiting Sri Lanka? Click here for the full list of 12 things you should know before your trip!

The Rooms at Anantara Tangalle

Beach at Anantara Tangalle in Sri Lanka

The 152-room hotel sits on 42 acres of beachfront land: there are several different options available and Anantara Tangalle offers both rooms and standalone villas. During our first stay (way back when), we were luckily upgraded and my jaw dropped when we arrived at the ocean view pool villa.

We were given a tour of the beautiful master bedroom, bathroom, private terrace and salt-water pool before sitting down for the in-room check-in procedures.

Before leaving us to jump on the bed like 6-year-olds, our villa liaison wrote down his direct phone number and asked us to call if we needed anything: luggage unpacking service, room service, restaurant reservations, laundry, a ride in a golf buggy to anywhere in the hotel we wanted to go, more towels, anything. He had also booked us a foot massage as a welcome gift and no less than 5 minutes later, 2 staff from the Anantara spa had showed up at our villa to soothe our tootsies.

Anantara Tangalla Pool Villa in Sri Lanka

The private villa at Anantara Tangalle was absolutely humongous. The master bedroom is luxurious but cozy, glamorous but comfortable, and I got quite possibly the best night’s sleep in a long while in the king-sized bed. Best. Mattress. Ever. The room also had a massive smart TV with dozens of channels and free movies, Bose bluetooth speaker, Nespresso machine and coffee capsules (free of charge), kettle, mini-fridge stocked with goodies and plenty of fresh fruit.

Step into the bathroom and you may never want to leave. The bathroom had two sinks, a freestanding bathtub, the dreamiest rain shower and every amenity you could need. On the other side of the shower is a built-in wardrobe and drawers, luggage rack and safe.

If the room wasn’t impressive enough, just take a look at this pool with a view of the Indian Ocean in the distance.

This wonderful little private infinity pool is where we spent the better part of the afternoon, soaking up the sunshine and listening to tunes. Perfection.

Anantara Tangalle room Sri Lanka

Don’t worry if you don’t book a villa at Anantara Tangalle – we have also stayed several times in the “standard” garden view and ocean view rooms – you can expect the same high-quality furnishings that are featured in the private villas.

Anantara Tangalle bathroom Sri Lanka

The ocean breeze prances in through the balcony, we often find ourselves lazing about on the lounge bed outside.

The Facilities & Food at Anantara Tangalle

Woman in pool at Anantara Tangalle in Sri Lanka

Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle offers a tennis court, badminton court, fitness center, 2 swimming pools, small kids club, spa, surf lessons, yoga classes, beach cabanas, just to name a few!

The main 25-metre infinity pool offers in-water lounge chairs in the shallow wading section (perfect for children – only about 24 cm deep), and pool bar & restaurant for the grown-ups so you always have a drink in hand; the pool cascades down into a shallower, smaller pool that is also surrounded by lounge chairs.

The beach at Anantara Tangalle is just steps away from the pool and is a stunning rocky bay – it is, however, not always swimmable due to strong currents. The best time to visit if your heart is set on swimming in the ocean is from December to April.

Il Mare restaurant at Anantara Tangalle Sri Lanka

Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle also houses 3 main restaurants in addition to the poolside cafe: Il Mare (Italian), Journeys (International) and Verele (Teppanyaki). The food is, put simply, delectable. Even when we aren’t staying at Anantara we often frequent Il Mare for dinner and Journeys for the best breakfast buffet in Sri Lanka.

Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle in Sri Lanka

Let me talk you through this magical breakfast buffet spread: Western classics including sausages (chicken and pork), baked beans, eggs, hash browns and 3 types of bacon; Sri Lankan dishes; cold cut platters; all the carbs you could ever need in this lifetime (including a pastry chef who walks around with a tray of freshly baked chocolate croissants); yoghurt, fresh fruit and cereal and a juice station. There’s even a gluten-free section!

My tip for anyone staying at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort in Sri Lanka is to head to Verele just before sunset for happy hour, then mosey on over to Il Mare for the sunset on the terrace and a decadent dinner.

Every dish I’ve tried at Il Mare has been top notch and authentically Italian, and dessert is a necessity when dining there – the tiramisu is scrumptious.

Kids Club at Anantara Tangalle in Sri Lanka

For families traveling with young children to Sri Lanka, you will love the spacious grounds at Anantara Tangalle. Each of the restaurants has high chairs on offer and the hotel can also provide cribs in the room. The small kids club is, in my opinion, better suited to slightly older children – infants and toddlers may be less interested in the arts & crafts and other activities (treasure hunts, face painting, fitness sessions etc.). There is a somewhat limited amount of space for free play.

Anantara Tangalle Pool View

Instead, we found ourselves spending our time in the shallow section of the main pool – you’ll need plenty of sun protection as the pool is not shaded during the day.

Traveling with high-energy children to Sri Lanka? You might want to consider spending a few days at Shangri-La Hambantota in the deep south. In my opinion it’s one of the best family-friendly hotels in Sri Lanka – there is an on-site water park, water slides as well as a huge indoor kids club complete with soft play area and ball pit. Older children will love the trapeze, rope course and archery zone.

The Service at Anantara Tangalle

Where do I even begin? The service at Anantara Tangalle goes beyond excellent. Service with a smile? No, more like service with soul. Every single staff member we crossed paths with said hello and flashed their pearly whites, and everyone we spoke with was genuinely friendly, kind and helpful: it’s the kind of warmth that you can’t fake.

Things to Do in Tangalle

Elephants in Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka

If you want to step outside of the resort and explore the area, there are plenty of options. You can go on a safari to Yala National Park or Udawalawe National Park, head to Galle Fort (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), visit the nearby Buddhist temples in Dickwella or Gandara, tour a tea plantation and more. For more ideas head to my guide to Sri Lanka’s south coast.

Getting to Anantara Tangalle

The resort is located in the southern part of Sri Lanka and is a three and a half hour drive from Bandaranaike International Airport. There are also domestic flights from Colombo to Dickwella town but make sure you check the schedule as these currently operate infrequently.

Cocktails at Anantara Tangalle in Sri Lanka

All-in-all, Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle is one of the most extraordinary places I have ever stayed. When it is time to check-out and leave the hotel, the staff performs a traditional Sri Lankan farewell ceremony and says another round of Ayubowan greetings.

Sunset at Anantara Tangalle in Sri Lanka

You will leave desperately wishing that you could have stayed another night. When you stay at Anantara you 1) never need to leave the property because they have almost everything you could ever hope for, 2) are treated with the highest level of hospitality, and 3) will almost certainly count down to your next visit. 

Click here to book your stay at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle!

Lagoon at Anantara Tangalle in Sri Lanka

Are you thinking about visiting Sri Lanka or have you stayed at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle before? I’d love to hear from you below!

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I stayed at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle as a paying customer, the opinions on Yogawinetravel.com are, and always will be, my own!

This article contains affiliate links. If you choose to book using these links, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my website by using these links. 

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34 Comments

  1. Hi Flo,
    Many thanks for the great review.
    Which kind of room would you recommend – beach access or ocean view?
    Is a 2 week stay in this resort too long or are they enough places to visit around?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Reto,

      Ocean view is good enough and not far from the beach in the slightest. I think 2 weeks is a little too long in Tangalle as it is on the southwest end of the island. You might want to consider spending 3-4 nights here before moving over east towards Galle (I recommend staying in the Talalla area). If you have 2 weeks in Sri Lanka you can actually cover a lot of ground, not just along the south coast. Here is a 2 week itinerary for Sri Lanka: https://www.yogawinetravel.com/see-sri-lanka-a-two-week-itinerary-for-the-pearl-of-the-indian-ocean/

      Alternatively, if your heart is set on a coastal beach vacation then here are some ideas for what to do along the south coast: https://www.yogawinetravel.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-sri-lankas-south-coast/

      I hope you find these articles helpful!

      Flo

  2. Hi Flo,

    Great blog, loved the tips on the hotel and Sri Lanka. I am visiting this hotel in June and just wanted to know an idea of what the weather will be like (I have seen several different opinions). Also, wanted an idea on how expensive the facilities in the hotel are (dining, spa, etc) and is there anything to do near the hotel ?

    Any ideas/suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks

    1. Hi Akbar,

      Thanks for commenting – I just stayed there for the third time a few nights ago because we love it so much! The weather in June will be hot and humid, and the beach is already entering off-season conditions which means it will be too rough to swim in the ocean. However, the pools are really stunning (upper and lower level). There might be spells of rain in June, but in my experience it tends to rain in the evenings and there will be lots of sunshine during the day.

      The dining is very reasonable, but the alcohol/cocktails are very pricey unless you’re sticking to local beer. The spa is not cheap either, but they do use very high quality spa products. There are a number of things to do around the hotel and you will be able to visit Galle Fort (a UNESCO heritage site) which is just over 1.5 hours away by car, or visit Udawalawe/Yala National Parks for a wildlife safari. I have additional guides on Sri Lanka here: https://www.yogawinetravel.com/travel/sri-lanka/

      We keep going back to Anantara Tangalle because the service is impeccable and the rooms/property are stunning. Have a great trip!

  3. Wow that resort looks beautiful! I love the infinity pool and the close proximity to the beach! I have to say though, the baked goods and food looks DELICIOUS 😀 Thanks for joining #FlyAwayFriday!

    1. I absolutely love this chain, Arzo! The service is impeccable and the properties are so gorgeous. Thanks for checking this out!

  4. Loved this, and the beautiful pictures. Looks pretty dreamy to me. I have been reading great thinks about Sri Lanka, thanks for sharing!

  5. Wow! Fantastic & luxurious resort. I would love to relax in that pool. I hope I will get a chance to visit Shri-Lanka & I would definitely visit Anantara. Thanks dear for sharing.

  6. Wow, this place looks amazing. The breakfast buffet had to be delicious and the pool area too. I can imagine that you had an awesome time there. Thanks for all the tips and things to do! I keep that in mind if I’ll plan a trip to Sri Lanka 🙂 #FlyAwayFriday

  7. The things they do to make you feel absolutely welcomed as a guest! That private pool looks like heaven. What a wonderful stay you had!

    I hope to try Anantara for myself one day 🙂

  8. Wow this resort looks incredible! You were so lucky to get upgraded to a room with a private pool too. I’m heading to Sri Lanka next year and wish I had the budget to stay somewhere like this. What an experience. Will also be checking out your 2-week itinerary post.

    1. If you end up looking into flights, Sri Lankan Air has a flight that goes via BKK (technical stop) and the fare is half of Cathay’s!

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